Kookmin University Suddenly States "Investigation of Kim Geon-hee's Thesis Impossible, Verification Period Expired"

5 Years Passed, Verification Period Expired
All 3 Papers Under Preliminary Investigation Will Not Proceed to Full Investigation

Former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol and his spouse Kim Keon-hee. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Kookmin University has decided not to conduct a formal investigation into Kim Geon-hee, the spouse of former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol, who is suspected of misconduct in her doctoral dissertation.

Since July, numerous media reports have raised suspicions of research misconduct related to Kim's doctoral dissertation at Kookmin University's Graduate School of Techno Design, titled "A Study on the Development of Fortune-telling Content Using Avatars." In response, Kookmin University decided to verify the dissertation in question as well as three other papers Kim published in external academic journals during her enrollment, in accordance with the regulations of the Research Ethics Committee (Ethics Committee).

The verification process involves preliminary investigation, formal investigation, and judgment stages. The Ethics Committee formed a preliminary investigation panel on the 5th of last month and began the inquiry. At this stage, the specificity and clarity of the report, the appropriateness of the statute of limitations, and the suitability of the investigation are reviewed.

However, on the 10th, Kookmin University's Ethics Committee stated, "This case is beyond the verification statute of limitations, so verification and investigation cannot proceed, and we have decided not to conduct a formal investigation." They added, "We are well aware of the public's expectation to clearly determine the academic evaluation and whether research misconduct occurred through an investigation, but there was a limitation in that the statute of limitations must be applied according to the regulations."

Kookmin University.
Photo by Yonhap News

On the same day (the 10th), Kookmin University stated in a press release, "Article 2 of the Supplementary Provisions of Kookmin University's Research Ethics Committee Regulations stipulates that 'Reports of research misconduct up to August 31, 2012, will not be processed if five years have passed since receipt as a principle.'" In other words, Kim's case does not fall under the scope of investigation.

However, Article 17 of the main regulations states, "Reports of research misconduct received shall be verified regardless of the statute of limitations as a principle." Furthermore, the supplementary provisions of this article allow investigations to continue in cases where: △ the research is cited or used in follow-up research planning, execution, reporting, or publication within five years, or △ the research poses risks to public welfare or safety. The Ethics Committee judged that Kim's research did not meet these exceptions.

The Ethics Committee finalized the results on the 9th and announced them on the 10th. It is also reported that Kim was notified of the results.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.